MMAjunkie.com Radio on Tour, Part 3: Off to Afghanistan, meeting Special Forces

MMAjunkie.com Radio co-hosts “Gorgeous” George Garcia and Brian “Goze” Garcia, as well as UFC fighters Jake Ellenberger and Amir Sadollah and MMA/boxing cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran, are overseas and visiting U.S. troops as part of an MMA-themed Armed Forces Entertainment tour. George Garcia is penning a journal during the journey. Check out Part 3.

Today we didn’t have any plans in the morning, so our first meetup was for lunch. I got tons of rest, and after missing dinner the night before and breakfast in the morning, I was anxious to chow down.

I haven’t really spoken much about the food or living conditions. Both have been great. The food is very similar to back home, and it’s a buffet style of service in which you have different options. You can get down and dirty and have a burger and fries or eat healthy and build a salad. There’s always a few meat options like beef, chicken, pork, lamb and fish. There are many sides to go along with your choice of meat, and I believe there’s one night per week where you can eat Kyrgyz food. The troops don’t seem to complain much about it. Personally, the buffet style would get old, but they don’t have much choice, and they just accept it. There’s also a Burger King and Pizza Hut, but I haven’t gone there yet, nor am I sure that I will.

Our living quarters are adequate too. We each had our own room, and there are bathroom stalls and a shower room in our building. We even have a little room to watch TV or just play a board game or pass the time with conversation. But no one really does that. Goze has been peeking at the Dodgers-Cardinals series, and we all tried to catch up on some scores from the NFL. But honestly, we’ve been too busy with activities throughout the day. I’m being completely frank with you all in telling you that all that stuff we worry about back home has been a distant thought, and the only thing we concern ourselves with is our itinerary here on the base. We check our emails when we can or catch up with family and friends via a quick message, but that’s it.

I like to observe a lot. We always get together in this gazebo in front of our building, and it’s interesting to see all of the different military groups here and the way they interact. Whether it’s the Marines, airmen, seamen or the soldiers from the Army, they’re always in groups, and they’re always chatting and smiling. The same goes for the troops from Poland, Georgia, El Salvador, etc. They’re here, and they’re here to do a job. When they have personal time, they are together, and it’s amazing to see that camaraderie. These men and women deeply care for one another and watch each other’s backs. Not that I didn’t know that already; it’s just I always thought that they would be a little more miserable being so far away and in such danger.

Again, I’m not here to make a statement. But whatever you believe in, you have to support the brave men and women who are here to do their jobs. And that’s what we’re here to do.

Our main activity on this day was bizarre. We went to the flightline and were about to get a tour of a C-17 (a large transport aircraft) when all of the sudden the military police showed up. Now granted, we were in the presence of our AFE civilian liaison, Jeff. And everywhere we go, we’re watched by Sgt. 1st Class Toney. Not to mention, a captain was leading the group, and this was just minutes after being welcomed by a major. So we thought we were OK to proceed with our tour, but apparently there was a miscommunication somewhere. We got to see the outside of the aircraft, but we were stopped from going inside. I understand the police have their jobs to do, so turning around and walking back to hang out in the building where the mechanics and the airmen were was not a problem at all. Plus, we were about to see a C-17 soon enough.

The rest of the day was low key, and we checked in our bags as we were headed toward our next destination. We then had a few beers with some of the troops and some downtime before we were to report to the PAX terminal for our flight.

We had a check in time of midnight, and then the next part of the night was going to be us in lockdown awaiting our plane and a scheduled 4 a.m. flight. We were all a little antsy, but once again, we were excited to tackle this next adventure. We then headed down range to Afghanistan.

After about an hour of sitting around quietly, we were told our flight would be delayed and that we should head back to our living quarters and come back at 4 a.m. for our 6:30 a.m. flight. We left our gear and helmets behind and walked back in the cold. I couldn’t tell if we were relieved, or just tired, as our body language was telling that some of us were experiencing some type of concerned emotions. I don’t want to speak on behalf of the others, but I can’t imagine there wasn’t a small amount of fear in all of us.

-GG (call sign “FLY”)

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013

We came back after a short delay. It allowed us a few hours of shut-eye. We were just starting to get acclimated to the 13-hour time difference when we were presented with these delays. I think that’s why a few of us have been fighting off a few illnesses. When you’re not resting, the body weakens. It’s a simple equation. But alas, that’s the hand we were dealt, and no matter what, we’ve all answered the bell. I’m proud of the boys for that. It wasn’t a surprise that we all were on time, and we all exited our living quarters within minutes of each other and walked back to the PAX terminal for another lockdown in preparation for our flight to Afghanistan.

We may not have gotten to tour that C-17 aircraft earlier in the day because of the diligent military police, but we were going to get more than that on this early morning. Sgt. Toney told us to “gear up” seconds after one of the airmen informed her that it was time. As I walked to the C-17, I was more calm than I thought I would be. Prior to the original flight, I was nervous. I’m not going to lie. But this time, I was really calm. It could be that seeing this woman, who was a lieutenant colonel, act so calm did something to me that resonated with me profoundly. She is just going to do a job. She’s already accepted the risk that comes with it, but she did that a long time ago. Then it was time to do what she’s been asked to do.

Well, months ago when Armed Forces Entertainment asked Goze and I to come visit Southwest Asia, we did the same thing. We accepted a responsibility that we have been taking serious. And we knew there would be risk. But we also trusted that if in harm’s way, the brave men and women of the military and the AFE crew would also look after us. So as I strapped myself into this huge plane, and I looked around at the lieutenant colonel and all the airmen who were prepping for the flight. It was just another little reminder that this was part of the journey and that I should look forward to what’s ahead and be ready to honor our commitment.

A colonel who went on the Bishkek city tour had told me to see if we could request to go into the cockpit and see the view of the mountains as we take off from Kyrgyzstan and head down to Afghanistan. I had asked about the Himalayas, and sure enough, we were told we could see them on that flight. I recall hearing that 25 minutes into the flight would be the best view. So when they asked if anyone wanted to go up immediately, I snickered when Stitch and Goze raised their hands to go first. Suckers! They missed the best part since about 20 minutes into the flight, they headed down to let Jake Ellenberger and me go up.

Man, what a view. That mountain range makes the Sierra Nevada look like the Matterhorn at Disneyland. We were 36,000 feet up and yet, we were barely over the mountain range. Or so it looked. The pilot and co-pilot were calm and doing their jobs, reading sheets of paper pertinent to the trip (I imagine) and toying around with some gauges on the plane. We took some pictures, and after about 20 minutes or so, it was time to wake up Amir Sadollah and our tour director, Steve Straub.

We had landed, and it was time to disembark. When we did, I saw a bunch of men and women doing their jobs around the flight line and in the distance around the airport. I was a proud American as I soaked it all in and kept watching them all work as a cohesive team. And then a few of them headed our way to make us feel welcomed. That included Mr. Bierman, our liaison in Afghanistan. And Capt. Jenkins, the officer assigned to look after us while on the Bahgram base. Sgt. Toney, of course, was with us. We were then driven to our quarters and then we headed to breakfast.

After breakfast, we were driven to a building that housed some of the higher ranked members of that base for a welcome meeting. We got to meet a two-star general. He was very pleasant and gave a brief explanation of his duties and some of those who work on the base. He then took the time to answer a lot of our questions. He told us that his son was a big MMA fan too. We took some pictures, but then it was time to go. During our visit, he received some unfortunate news, and it was obvious that that was just a normal day for him.

Afterward, we went to the part of the base where the Special Forces group resides. I was amped to meet them. They are the valiant group that heads into the villages of Afghanistan to protect us and work in conjunction with the Afghan military. In other words, these are the baddest mofos in the military. What an inspiring group. The colonel and his right hand man greeted us, and we listened to every word they had to say, including a little background on a fella named “Big” Jim, who we found out during a morning briefing was on his seventh tour. They shared a little bit of insight into what they do and some of their daily missions. They command a lot of respect around the base, and I see why. Every minute of their day carries tons of risk.

After meeting with the Special Forces, it was time to do our first MMA clinic and meet and greet. It was actually be with the Special Forces group, and they were pumped to get to work out with the fighters and also to meet Stitch. This was a ton of fun. Not all of them chose to grapple, but they all wanted to at least watch. Just like the previous clinics, the guys warmed them up, taught some striking techniques, and then some grappling techniques. It’s all very cohesive because they are teaching them a sequence that gets them to clinch into a muay Thai stance, then a take down from the clinch into side control. From there, the guys then teach a few different options into more dominant positions from which they can finish or strike (to a possible finish). Then it’s time for some rolling. As always, there are a few in the bunch who want to grapple with the guys and test themselves. Jake and Amir have been great about that. I can’t emphasize that enough, and I’ll probably add a little more about that in a future blog.

When we were done, we were presented a flag, and once again, thanked by the colonel for coming out. I can’t wait to hang this in the MMAjunkie.com Radio studios.

All of us got another individual gift from the Special Forces group, and I’ll try to post some pics of those when I can. I’m bummed that Goze missed the little ceremony at the end, but he was off to try to load some video. Internet connections aren’t ideal for loading video, and that has been a challenge for us. The only video that can get up quickly is from our Instagram accounts. Mine is @GORGESJORJ by the way. Goze (@TheGoze) and Jake (@EllenbergerMMA) are on as well. Stitch and Amir are not on but they have been tweeting a lot. In fact, let me get you those accounts while we’re at it:

After some lunch and downtime, we were given a tour of the base. It houses 30,000 people, which includes military and civilians. As we drove around, we came side by side with the border of the gate, which we hear can oftentimes have kids there throwing rocks or other stuff. We also came across trucks and cars and small convoys of vehicles driven by Afghanis, and the only thing I could think of was all the TV shows and movies that I’ve seen that contain scenes like that. It’s truly surreal, and alarming. But that’s the bad part about categorizing and stereotyping. In truth, these people on base are working hard with the American military to improve Afghanistan. Again, I don’t want to get political or anything. I just want to tell you about our experiences. And what I was feeling that day was concern and a little fear, which then turned to a refreshing bit of knowledge gained. I’ve been so exposed to stuff that can clutter my mind that I’m not being fair in rushing to judgment of other human beings. It’s a sickening feeling to be honest.

The Afghanis that I’ve come into contact with on the base have worked hard at their jobs and been very nice to us. Many speak great English and are so happy to see the progress being made in turning things around for them out here. I think that’s very important and something we’ll all remember.

We proceeded to the second meet and greet and MMA clinic of the night. This was fun, and with a PA system that was set up, I was able to be a little more interactive with the audience and interview the fighters as they instructed the participants on the mat. Our audience kept growing throughout the clinic, and the ones who couldn’t see were able to hear while observing. We decided after that session to try to replicate the roving mic during the rest of the clinics we held, if we could get our hands on the equipment needed. It also turned out that a Facebook friend of mine was at this clinic too. His name is Calvin, and we met, but he didn’t tell me he was “the guy on Facebook.” This dude was a beast. You could tell he had trained before.

Now that we’re in Afghanistan, we can communicate more about our visit. But prior to, I couldn’t as we were given strict orders to not say where we were heading. So I couldn’t tell him exactly what days we were arriving and what bases we would be at. God bless you, Calvin. It was nice to kinda meet you.

After the night session, we ate and then came back to rest. It was a whirlwind day that was a roller coaster of emotions, from the anticipation of leaving for Afghanistan to the arrival, to meeting the general, the colonel and his Special Forces team, to the meet and greets and the coming in contact with many Afghanis at one time. I also enjoyed the personal time with troops themselves and of course this darn altitude. We were pretty pooped, but we had this glow on our faces. We couldn’t believe what had just happened. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it and reliving it through this blog. The guys have to remind me of a few things from time to time because the days seem to overlap.

Our trip to Afghanistan isn’t over, and I’ll type some more tomorrow. I can’t wait to tell you all about the Blackhawks.

Thinking about all of you, thousands of miles away in Afghanistan.

-GG (call sign “FLY”)

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“Gorgeous” George Garcia is host and director of operations for MMAjunkie.com Radio. He’s producing a journal in conjunction with his MMA-themed Armed Forces Entertainment tour in Southwest Asia. Following him on Twitter at @MMAjunkieGeorge for additional updates.